


Scars and Endearment

by Ficlet_Sprinkler



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 14:15:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ficlet_Sprinkler/pseuds/Ficlet_Sprinkler
Summary: Sherlock and John go on a dangerous case, in an attempt to save a kidnapped girl.With many giggles and deductions in between, they find out they may feel more for one another than expected...
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Scars and Endearment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SherlockWatson_Holmes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockWatson_Holmes/gifts).

“Did you get the milk I asked for?”

John walked into the living room, scrubbing his scalp with a towel; only to see that Sherlock hadn’t moved.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes going over Sherlock. He was staring at John’s laptop, which lay in his lap.

Sherlock looked around at this, a little look of panic twinkling in his eyes, before quickly slamming John’s laptop closed and getting up.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing… Hey, do you have a date tonight?” he said, quickly changing the subject. He fled to the kitchen, where John would not see the look of embarrassment on his face. 

John shook his head, confused at Sherlock’s sudden interest.

“No, I don’t… Why? Did you deduct something about me?” he said, spreading his arms, and giving him a little twirl.

“I deduct things about you all the time John. Don’t feel flattered, I do that with everyone,” he quickly added, noticing the look of surprise on John’s face. “Anyways, good! Because you’re going with me tonight.”

Sherlock walked past John and threw his coat at him. John caught it perfectly. 

“So you better get dressed,” he added, before going through the door and putting on his coat.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Sherlock stopped, halfway down the stairs, and turned to face John.

“To get your milk, of course!”

John smirked, and went upstairs to put on some decent clothes.

-+-

When Sherlock came home, John was already dressed, sitting in his armchair.

“I got your milk,” Sherlock said with a deep voice, which startled John.

“Oh! Thanks.” 

“No probl-” 

“Hey, Sherlock?” John asked hesitantly.

“Yes, John.”

“Why was there a site filled with pictures of military men opened on my laptop? I don’t mind you using it, but could you at least-”

John didn’t bother continuing, seen as Sherlock had already fled into his room. He sighed.

-+-

When Sherlock finally came out of his room, he was wearing a suit. That said, a _different_ suit than he was wearing before. Classy.

John didn’t bother to repeat what he had found; he didn’t want Sherlock disappearing into his bedroom again. So he asked a different question.

“So… What are we doing tonight? You said we are going out, right?”

Sherlock glared at John; his eyes vague with confusion.

“We… out?... Oh!” his face lit up. “Yes! You’re coming with me tonight. Something fun, don’t worry,”

“Well, it’s almost 8 already. Did your plan have anything to do with dinner? I’m starving.”

“We’ll stop by Angelo’s,” Sherlock said with a smile. “Now, let’s go,”

“What, now? Oh-” John quickly got his coat, and rushed after Sherlock, who was already walking downstairs.

-+-

They had dinner at Angelo’s. Well, _John _got dinner. Sherlock only took a few bites, as usual. Still, better than nothing. 

John looked at Sherlock from across the table.

He couldn’t help but marvel about how magnificent this man was. His cheekbones, his dark curls, his long fingers tapping on the table.

Even the bloody neck on this man was gorgeous.

Sherlock noticed John staring and turned to face him. John was looking somewhere else - his neck? - but Sherlock chose to look in the man’s eyes. It was interesting; eyes didn’t matter much to Sherlock. Colours over all had no special effect on him. But when he looked at John, the colours seemed… Brighter.

John looked up, noticing Sherlock staring into his eyes. They both quickly tore away their gaze, looking down with a slight smile on their face.

-+-

As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, Sherlock took the lead and walked towards a park nearby.

“So, can you finally tell me what we’re doing tonight?” John asked, struggling to keep up with Sherlock. 

His eyes twinkled, as Sherlock explained: 

“We’re going on a case, John.”

Of course they were. Nothing could excite Sherlock as much as a case. But to be fair, John didn’t mind it either.

“Alright, sounds good. What kind of case?”

“A good one, trust me. We just have to get to this park. You see, I got a message earlier, asking to meet up in this spot. They said they couldn’t meet in Baker Street. So this person is being abused.”

John blinked at this sudden conclusion.

“They’re being abused?”

“Obviously. They couldn’t come into our house, because their abuser -balance of probability suggests it’s a boyfriend- would follow them and notice the irregularity. No, they would have to meet up in a place they go regularly, to avoid suspicion. A public space, like a park. Even better.”

John looked up at Sherlock in awe.

“Amazing.”

He thought he saw Sherlock’s expression soften for a moment, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

“What else?”

“They explained briefly that something had been taken from them. And because they didn’t want to get in trouble with the people who took it, they contacted me. Now they didn’t exactly say that, of course, but it was clear from the tone of their message,”

John chuckled to himself. _Of course he would._

-+-

When they arrived at the park, they noticed a woman sitting on a bench, her bag clutched to her chest, looking around anxiously.

“Defensive body posture,” Sherlock whispered to John. He nodded in response.

“Hello there, did you message us?” John asked kindly to the woman.

“Yes, Sherlock Holmes! And, Doctor Watson.” A slight tremor could be heard in her voice, before she steadied it.

“Thank you so much for coming. I’m sorry for the inconvenience-”

“Yes, no problem,” Sherlock promptly cut off. “Let’s save the apologies. We all know your safety is most important. Just tell us what your case entails,”

Sherlock sat next to her, folding his hands into his classic thinking position, waiting for her to start talking.

John went to sit next to Sherlock, who didn’t even bother to move in to give him more space.

“Well, the thing I came to you about… Something, -someone- was stolen from me. I got involved with some bad people, and… One of the men… They took my little sister. And I- I couldn’t come to your home because-”

“Because you were in a relationship with one of the men, who is now paying close tabs on you to ensure you don’t make an attempt to get your sister back.”

“How did you-”

“It’s really obvious.”

John coughed and gave Sherlock a look.

“Right, sorry… Do continue,”

“You were right, Mr Holmes… I met Daniel in a pub once. We started seeing each other more often, and, you know… We got intimate. 

Soon, he introduced me to his friends. His friends brought out a different side of him. He started to be more aggressive, like them, and… I wanted to end it; I swear. But, I just couldn’t- There was something…”

When the woman couldn’t continue, John put her thoughts into words.

“You’re pregnant,” he observed.

Sherlock looked at John, blinking fast, a smile lingering in the corner of his mouth. 

John’s eyes twinkled, knowing that he had noticed something that Sherlock hadn’t.

“The bag, you aren’t just clutching it because you’re nervous, right? You’re hiding your belly.”

The woman stared at John with wonder, and carefully removed her bag from her abdomen. It revealed her pregnant belly.

Once the men had seen it, she quickly put the bag back, looking around to make sure no one else had noticed. 

“You’re right,” she sighed. “And now I have another reason to stay safe,”

“We understand. Just tell us where to find Daniel and his friends, and we’ll get your little sister back,” Sherlock reassured her.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know where they are. I can’t ask Daniel, or he’ll be on to me. And those friends… I can’t be near them. I only know one thing: they often hang out in a pub called ‘Disenchantment’,”

Suddenly, the woman’s phone started to ring. She quickly checked her mobile, turned it off and got up from the bench.

“It’s Daniel. I should go; I don’t want him to get suspicious of me. I’ve already been here too long. But tell me this;

Will you take my case?”

Sherlock smiled kindly. 

“Of course,”

She gave a smile back. She asked them to contact her anytime, giving them a card, and left quickly.

“That went well, didn’t it?” John asked. 

“Very well, John. An interesting case indeed! Is it my birthday? I haven’t checked,”

John smiled. He found it really sweet whenever Sherlock got excited about a case.

-+-

While they walked home, Sherlock went through his usual deductions. 

John listened intently, prodding an ‘amazing’ or ‘fantastic!’ after pretty much every revelation. Sherlock had found out that the woman lived in a small, dirty apartment near Canonbury. The woman, whose name is Olivia, has been sexually and physically abused by both Daniel and his ‘friends’. This could obviously be seen by the way she slightly flinched whenever she moved her arm, indicating fresh bruising. 

This is about all John had heard, before he zoned out and focused on Sherlock’s face. He couldn’t help it. Sherlock’s mouth moved terribly fast; it was mesmerising.

John blinked and came back to his senses. What was he doing, staring at Sherlock’s lips?

“And that’s all I found out, so far,” Sherlock said, as he reached for his keys and opened the door to 221B.

“But there was one more deduction which I hadn’t anticipated,”

John looked up, curious as to what it was.

“Yours, John. I hadn’t yet seen that she was pregnant, but you noticed it right away. Excellent job.” Sherlock smiled at him. A genuine smile.

“Glad to see you’re proud of your Boswell,” John said.

Sherlock looked at him curiously, before he erupted into giggles. John laughed with him, and soon they were in their usual place.

Leaning against the wall, giggling like two schoolgirls. Just like they had done when they had first met.

Sherlock suddenly became aware of how close the two of them were standing. John seemed to notice it too, because he inched closer to Sherlock.

They had now stopped giggling, and were looking each other in the eyes, a faint smile on their lips.

Sherlock inched closer, subconsciously bringing his face closer to John.

He leaned in-

“Boys, what are you doing here?”

John jumped back in panic, crashing into the wall in the progress.

Sherlock straightened his back, his eyes wide with panic, and quickly responded:

“Nothing! ahem… Nothing is going on here, Mrs Hudson. So you can just go back to your-”

“But there’s a telephone ringing, Sherlock! It’s been driving me crazy. I don’t know how you couldn’t hear it, it’s right upstairs,”

Sherlock pricked up his ears and could hear it now too.

Without saying another word, he ran upstairs, towards the sound.

“Sher…” John sighed, before running up after him. 

-+-

When John reached upstairs, Sherlock was already holding on to the phone.

“It’s the kidnappers,” he whispered to John. He quickly answered the phone and put it on speaker.

“Hello,”

A deep voice with a light Scottish accent answered the call.

“Hello Mr Holmes. I’ve heard you’ve been looking for me,”

“Indeed I am. Where have you hidden the girl?”

A faint chuckle could be heard.

“You really think it would be that easy, huh? No, I didn’t call to give you any clue. I simply called… To warn you,”

“Well then you’re not doing a very good job,” John replied.

“Ah, who is that, Mr Holmes? Is that your boyfriend? Oh, isn’t that lovely… It hurts most when the bond is that strong…”

John was about to respond, when Sherlock turned it off speaker phone and held the phone to his ear.

“What do you want?” he asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

John couldn’t hear quite what the man on the phone responded, but judging by Sherlock’s expression, it wasn’t good.

“You know I can’t do that,” Sherlock whispered.

John wanted to ask what was going on, but Sherlock held out a hand, indicating for him to be silent.

“Alright,”

“I don’t think…”

Sherlock sighed. The kidnapper had hung up.

John quickly walked over to Sherlock. “So? What happened?”

“We have to go,”

Sherlock briskly walked past him, back downstairs. 

John quickly ran after him.

-+-

“The kidnapper is located somewhere around Haverstock Hill, and I texted Lestrade to trace the number that called me. Though I doubt it will be of any use; he surely used a disposable phone. We have to get to the girl as soon as possible, she is most likely in pain,” Sherlock quickly explained the details while they got into a cab. 

“If you listened carefully, you could hear an underground train passing by. 

So he was in an underground station. Now, during the conversation, exactly three trains passed. One sounded like it came from the left, the other from the right. Three trains, in 4 and a half minutes. There’s only one station in which that is possible, which is Belsize station. Judging by his accent, he is a member of the Campbell family, who are known to have residence in Haverstock Hill. Haverstock Hill is near Belsize Park station, so it checks out,”

“Wow. You got all that from a few sounds?”

Sherlock smiled in confirmation.

-+-

The cab stopped at Haverstock Hill, and immediately, Sherlock received another phone call. This time it was Lestrade calling.

“Lestrade. Any news on the trace?”

“Yes. We traced the phone, and it gave the address of 182 Haverstock Hill. Also, it seems like it wasn’t a disposable phone. It’s still moving on the map. Mistake from the kidnapper, I’d say,”

“Yes, alright. Thank you Lestrade. You might want to move some forces over here, in case we find anything,”

“I’m on it. One more thing, Sherlock,”

“Yes?”

“Please be careful while our forces are still on their way. Both of you,”

“We will. Thank you, Greg.”

-+-

They rushed over to 182 Haverstock Hill, Sherlock’s coat flapping behind him as he ran.

They wasted no time, and went around the house to find a way in.

Suddenly, gunshots could be heard. 

John immediately turned around, a reflex to check if Sherlock was okay.

Sherlock was nowhere to be seen. John grabbed his gun, and carefully went around the corner.

More gunshots could be heard, and sirens welled up in the far distance.

“Sherlock,” John whispered. 

“John!” he heard Sherlock whisper. He swiftly turned around, and saw Sherlock standing there. Thank god, he was alright.

“Sherlock, don’t scare me like that! You have to stay close-”

_Bang._

_Bang._

A piercing pain in the back of his leg. 

Sherlock on the ground.

He looked behind him, only to see a familiar face, with a gun in her hand, swiftly turning around and running away.

He stumbled to the ground, nearly falling on Sherlock.

“Sherlock?”

Blood stained Sherlock’s shirt.

He immediately reached for his chest.

“Christ, Sherlock,”

“John…” Sherlock’s eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open.

John held his hands on the gun-wound, in an attempt to stop the blood from flowing out.

“Stay with me Sherlock, everything will be okay,”

Held-back tears caused John’s head to hurt.

“Please,” his voice cracked.

“Don’t leave me, not again,” tears rolled over his cheeks now, as the strength to control them had left him.

He looked up at the sky, swearing under his breath.

“John, I’m sorry…” 

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard behind John.

He threw himself over Sherlock’s body, in an effort to protect him, still.

“Don’t shoot him again!”

It was now that John realised that it was Greg standing before him.

“We came as fast as we could,”

John looked at Sherlock, his vision blurry with tears.

His eyes had fallen closed.

-+-

They had to drag John away from Sherlock. They put both of them in the ambulance, rushing them to the hospital.

John held Sherlock’s hand, even if it was more to calm himself down, than to comfort Sherlock. 

Sherlock would never even know.

-+-

The rest of the day was a blur. John stared in front of him, the visions of a bloody Sherlock flashing in front of him. He still saw the face of the gunman clearly.

‘Olivia’ John whispered.

He was vaguely aware of Mrs Hudson taking his hand. He hadn’t even noticed her arriving.

John was suffering. He expected a doctor to come inside, to tell him that Sherlock had passed away. But the only sound that could be heard, was the ticking of a clock.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Hours passed. Finally, a nurse came out into the waiting room.

“Mr Holmes is now accepting visitors,” she said.

John quickly stood up. “He’s awake?”

They rushed into the room, where Sherlock lay. 

He was surrounded by all kinds of medical devices, but he was there. 

He was alive.

“Sherlock,” John said, pulling up a chair next to his bed.

“John.”

Neither of them knew what to say.

Thankfully, Mrs Hudson knew exactly what she had to say.

“Sherlock! Thank god you’re okay, boy. You had us so worried! Don’t ever scare me like that again, you hear me? Ever!”

She embraced Sherlock, sobbing, half-angry and half-relieved.

Sherlock flinched.

Mrs Hudson noticed, and quickly got up.

“Oh, sorry dear. Your wounds… Does it hurt? Can I get you anything? Water, another pillow…”

“Actually, a glass of water would be good,” Sherlock said with a smile. He subtly eyed John.

“Oh… Right, I’ll leave you two to it. I’ll get you that water,”

Mrs Hudson walked out of the room, leaving John and Sherlock in silence.

“So… Did they save the girl?” Sherlock asked hesitantly.

“The girl… Oh, actually... We found out; there was never a kidnapping.”

“What?”

“Turns out, Olivia was actually part of the thug gang. All of it, it was a ruse to get you over there. Where you could be… Well, killed.”

“So she was all part of it. Obviously, I knew that all along,”

“You wHAT?”

“I spotted the name on her mobile. The one that was calling her, she said it was Daniel. But the name that I saw, was ‘Mary’. So I knew she was lying,”

“And you didn’t think to mention that we were heading into a trap, in which we were most likely to be killed??”

“What would be the fun in that?” Sherlock smiled smugly at John.

John was about to protest, but Sherlock was ahead of him:

“I was kidding. Of course I didn’t know that she was going to attempt to kill us. I only knew she was lying, but I just expected it to be a lie about who her partner is. But I missed it.

“There’s always something,”

Sherlock sighed, not knowing what to say. 

“John…”

“Sherlock, it’s alright. You didn’t intend to get shot. I didn’t either. But we did.”

Sherlock smiled.

“It is what it is,” he whispered.

“Exactly,”

Sherlock looked around, seeming to be thinking about something.

“Did you get shot? Today, I mean,”

“I did, yeah. Scraped across my calf. It was nothing, though; they treated it on the way here.”

“Are you… alright?”

John chuckled. “You got shot in the _chest_ and ask whether _I’m _okay?”

“Well, shoulder, technically,” Sherlock replied smugly.

John grinned, looking down at his feet. 

They then looked at one another, making sure that they were both okay, and smiled. 

They almost forgot where they were, as everything around them fell away, and they only saw each other.

Before Mrs Hudson interrupted them with a glass of water. 

“Here you go, darling,” she said. 

Sherlock eyed John. A silent promise;

_We’ll finish this later._

-+-

“Careful, remember you can’t just go back to walking normally…”

“Yes, I know, John. That’s what you keep telling me.” Sherlock walked up the stairs to 221B Baker Street. John stood there, ready to catch Sherlock if he were to fall. 

“Good. You’re almost home,”

Sherlock smiled as he walked in. He had missed his home. Having to leave it for a few days had been hell for him. 

He immediately went to sit down in his chair. Ah, _home sweet home_.

John smiled at the sight. Sherlock in his chair; all was right with the world again. 

Suddenly, something popped into his mind.

“Hey Sherlock, you know what I just realised?”

“Hm?”

“Come here, I’ll show you.”

Sherlock reluctantly got up from his chair, and tread closer to John.

“Alright, what is it?”

John smirked, and pulled up his shirt, revealing the scar on his shoulder.

“We have the same scar now.”

Sherlock’s heart beat fast in his chest; John stood in front of him, his chest uncovered - and he didn’t mind at all.

Sherlock carefully unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his own scar on his shoulder.

John already regretted having done this. He had forgotten how amazingly ripped Sherlock was- his heart was beating so fast; he was afraid that even Sherlock could hear it.

He directed his gaze to Sherlock’s eyes, in an attempt to control his emotions.

“You’re right, John. They match. Good deduction,”

John let his jumper fall back over his chest, feeling exposed.

Sherlock looked at John shyly.

“You know, I was still… conscious when the police force came,”

“Oh,”

“John, that thing you did… What you offered to do…”

“It was noth-”

“No. It was… something. You threw yourself over me to protect me, even though I had already been shot. Thank you,”

Sherlock wanted to say more, to express how he really felt, but he found himself getting closer to John instead.

They stared into each other’s eyes, their bodies only inches apart.

“Oh, fuck it,” John whispered, and leant in.

Their lips touched, and immediately, they melted together. They started out gently, but they soon started to get more and more desperate, desperate for the kiss they had been waiting for, for years. 

Sherlock leant in deeper, a desperate noise coming from his throat.

John smiled, and kissed Sherlock more passionately.

_Oh my god, I’m actually doing this_, both of them thought.

After a while, they caught their breath, and put their foreheads together.

They erupted in giggles; their eyes closed with contentment.

“It was about damn time,” John said.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to the friend I wrote this for! (Wish them a happy birthday in the comments if you want ;) )  
As always, thank you so much for reading!  
If you have anything to say about the fanfiction, feel free to leave a comment. I love comments :D  
<3


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